According to Reuters, the Serbian Defense Ministry announced today in an official statement it will purchase nine H145M multirole helicopters from France-based rotorcraft manufacturer Airbus Helicopters in order to bolster its defense capabilities.

The US Air Force is well on its way to replacing a critical airborne battle management command and control weapon system with the Dec. 28, 2016, release of the development request for proposal, or RFP, for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or JSTARS Recapitalization program.

Saab lands a $17.5mn contract from UAE for Saab 340 Erieye AEW support

The Swedish defence and security company Saab has signed a support agreement with the United Arab Emirates regarding an airborne surveillance system. The agreement will be valid for the 2016-2018 period, and the order value is approx. SEK 160 million (US$17.5 mn), the company announced on Thursday Dec. 29, 2016.

Ilyushin to sign contract for Il-112V airlifter development batch in 2017

A contract to deliver a development batch of two Ilyushin Il-112V military transport planes to Russia’s Aerospace Force is planned to be signed in 2017, Dmitry Savelyev, head of the Il-112V plane development program at the Ilyushin Aviation Complex, said on Dec. 29, 2016.

Kazakhstan took delivery of a new batch of Su-30SM multirole fighter jets, the press service of the Kazakh Defense Ministry announced on Dec. 27, 2016. These are the 5th and 6th Su-30SM fighter jets delivered to the Kazakh Air Force, after the country ordered an undiclosed number of aircraft in February 2015.

Pratt and Whitney, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., has been awarded a $313,879,396 contract for sustainment of F-22 Raptor fighter's F119-PW-100 engines, the US Department of Defense announced on its website on Dec. 23, 2016.

A major milestone of the Tiger HAD combat helicopter project was achieved on 13 December 2016 with the delivery of the first Tiger HAD/E in Block 2 configuration to the Spanish Army. Three further helicopters will be delivered before the end of the year, the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) recently announced on its website.

South Korea's Marine Corps will deploy 30 amphibious helicopters in a move to bolster its maritime defense capabilities, military officials said Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the country's sole aircraft manufacturer, has signed a US$525 million deal with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to gradually deliver the 30 amphibious choppers to the Marine Corps by 2023, the aircraft company said in a statement.

Leonardo-Finmeccanica acquired the full control of Sistemi Dinamici S.p.A from IDS S.p.A on December 23rd. The control of the company, which involved the remaining 60 percent of shares, is aimed at further strengthening the commitment of Leonardo in unmanned products thanks to the acquisition of the new unmanned lightweight helicopter SD-150 Hero programme.

The Belgian defense ministry plans to increase the air capabilities of its Special Forces, as it was unveiled in a plan called “Defense Strategic Vision for 2030”. Between 2025-27, the Defense ministry considers creating a new squadron of special mission aircraft and adding new capabilities to its fleet of NH90 Multirole Transport Helicopters.

36 years of operational activity have come to an end this morning as the Israel Air Force's "Netz" (F-16A/B) landed from their flight and shut off the engine for the last time. The IAF parts from the first of F-16 aircraft that are leaving a hefty past behind them and a promising future ahead.

According to the Chinese state-owned online media army.81.cn, the People's Liberation Army Aviation received its first Y-9LH medium size military transport aircraft. The aircraft was officially inducted in PLA Ground Force's inventory after it landed at an undisclosed airbase at 9:28 AM on Dec. 23, 2016.

According to an agreement reached between China and Russia at the end of 2015, China purchased 24 Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, and new information of this arms deal was released on December 25, Hong Kong's Oriental Daily News said on its website on Monday, December 26.

The Indian Defence and Research Development Organization (DRDO) yesterday successfully flight tested the Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW), from an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft. SAAW, an indigenously designed and developed 120 kg. class smart weapon, developed by DRDO, is capable of engaging ground targets with high precision up to a range of 100 kms.

The US State Department has approved a possible FMS to the Government of Kuwait for Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Tail Kits and related equipment, and support for an estimated cost of $37 millionn the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on December 23, 2016.

On 9 December 2016, the last F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighter to be upgraded to Mid-Life Upgrade 2 was handed over to the Finnish Air Force by Patria, the Finnish defense contractor announced on Dec. 23. The MLU 2 upgrade performed by Patria included hardware and system installations and changes required by air-to-ground weaponry. The upgrade was performed at Patria’s unit sited in Halli, Jämsä.

Aselsan and Field Aviation to jointly develop new special mission aircraft

Field Aviation and ASELSAN, a Turkish Armed Forces Foundation Company and Turkey’s leading defense electronics contractor, are jointly developing a new special mission aircraft platform. The platform is based on a Bombardier Challenger 605, which is being considerably modified to successfully accomplish the aircraft’s specific mission requirements. The aircraft modifications will be comprised of a missionized interior with multiple operator stations and critical structural aerodynamic alterations.

Textron AirLand yesterday announced the successful maiden flight of the first production conforming Scorpion jet. This program milestone closely follows the recent successful weapons capability exercise on the prototype Scorpion completed in early October. The Scorpion jet is a bold new direction for tactical aircraft designed to excel in roles ranging from intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to close air support and armed reconnaissance.

Second Version of FC-31 Gyrfalcon Fifth-Generation Fighter Spotted during Maiden Flight in China

Based on Chinese spotters pictures, the second version of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) FC-31 'Gyrfalcon' twin-engine, fifth-generation fighter conducted its first flighttoday in Chengdu, Sichuan province. The FC-31 first prototype made its first flight on Oct. 2012, and its first public appearance during the Zhuhai Air Show in Nov. 2014. This second version features several design improvements such as swept-back vertical stabilizers.